The Director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology of Matanzas, Fernando Acevo, ruled out that new viruses such as the H1N8 or different out-of-season pneumonia are circulating in this western Cuban province.
“Pneumonia may have existed. I know of two cases from the town of Torriente who had other pathologies, they were very immunosuppressed and died with terminal pneumonia,” said the specialist, quoted by the local TV Yumurí telecentre.
In the midst of the third wave of coronavirus infections in Matanzas, Acevo warned that other people could have died from COVID-19 without receiving a diagnosis of the contagious disease.
The epidemiology expert denied rumors about the circulation in the province of viruses such as H1N8, new types of pneumonia or rare diseases associated with COVID-19.
El Director del Centro Provincial de Higiene, Epidemiología y Microbiología de #Matanzas desmiente rumores que circulan entre la población matancera en torno a virus nuevos relacionados con casos de neumonía. #Cuba #PrevenirEsSalud #ConUnaNuevaSonrisa https://t.co/cNWggIO2DC pic.twitter.com/VByjM79KBU
— Dirección Provincial de Salud Matanzas (@DPSMtzas) March 31, 2021
Matanzas reports an increase in cases of Acute Respiratory Infections, Acevo confirmed and explained that this phenomenon is typical of the change of season between winter and summer when viruses are exacerbated.
He described as “fables” the rumors that affirm the existence of H1N1 and H1N5 viruses, as well as studies carried out by Havana’s Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in the Matanzas municipality of Jagüey Grande.
The specialist also ruled out until now the possibility of exhuming the corpses to extract samples, the source indicated.
“The IPK is not carrying out studies in Jagüey or in Torriente. We are the ones who are taking the samples indicated by clinicians and intensivists. So far we have taken 18 samples from this province and the IPK is looking for other viruses to evaluate if there is another type of pneumonia and the result has been negative. What has resulted from this analysis is that the presence of COVID-19 is confirmed. Of the 18 cases, three have been diagnosed with this disease,” he specified.
Acevo insisted that the province is going through a re-outbreak of COVID-19 since the beginning of the second half of March and explained that the increase in coronavirus positive cases in Jagüey Grande is related to a transmission event registered in the La Estancia factory.
Matanzas reported 89 new patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, of which 34 reside in the Jagüey Grande municipality, 22 in the provincial capital and 18 in Colón, according to figures from the Cuban Ministry of Public Health.
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OnCuba editorial staff 
